No Arabic abstract
Exact and nonperturbative quantum master equation can be constructed via the calculus on path integral. It results in hierarchical equations of motion for the reduced density operator. Involved are also a set of well--defined auxiliary density operators that resolve not just system--bath coupling strength but also memory. In this work, we scale these auxiliary operators individually to achieve a uniform error tolerance, as set by the reduced density operator. An efficient propagator is then proposed to the hierarchical Liouville--space dynamics of quantum dissipation. Numerically exact studies are carried out on the dephasing effect on population transfer in the simple stimulated Raman adiabatic passage scheme. We also make assessments on several perturbative theories for their applicabilities in the present system of study.
The influence of an external field acting differently on the two constituents of a binary colloidal mixture performing Brownian dynamics is investigated by computer simulations and a simple theory. In our model, one half of the particles ($A$-particles) are pulled by an external force ${vec F}^{(A)}$ while the other half of them ($B$-particles) are pulled by an external force ${vec F}^{(B)}$. If ${vec F}^{(A)}$ and ${vec F}^{(B)}$ are parallel and the field-free state is a mixed fluid, previous simulations (J. Dzubiella et al, Phys. Rev. E {bf 65} 021402 (2002)) have shown a nonequilibrium pattern formation involving lanes of $A$ or $B$ particles only which are sliding against each other in the direction of the external forces. In this paper, we generalize the situation both to non-parallel external forces and to field-free crystalline states. For non-parallel forces, lane formation is also observed but with an orientation {it tilted} with respect to the external forces. If the field-free state is crystalline, a continuous increase of the parallel external forces yields a novel {it reentrant freezing} behavior: the crystal first melts mechanically via the external force and then recrystallizes into demixed crystalline lanes sliding against each other.
We investigate the effects of dissipation on the quantum dynamics of many-body systems at quantum transitions, especially considering those of the first order. This issue is studied within the paradigmatic one-dimensional quantum Ising model. We analyze the out-of-equilibrium dynamics arising from quenches of the Hamiltonian parameters and dissipative mechanisms modeled by a Lindblad master equation, with either local or global spin operators acting as dissipative operators. Analogously to what happens at continuous quantum transitions, we observe a regime where the system develops a nontrivial dynamic scaling behavior, which is realized when the dissipation parameter $u$ (globally controlling the decay rate of the dissipation within the Lindblad framework) scales as the energy difference $Delta$ of the lowest levels of the Hamiltonian, i.e., $usim Delta$. However, unlike continuous quantum transitions where $Delta$ is power-law suppressed, at first-order quantum transitions $Delta$ is exponentially suppressed with increasing the system size (provided the boundary conditions do not favor any particular phase).
The many-body physics at quantum phase transitions shows a subtle interplay between quantum and thermal fluctuations, emerging in the low-temperature limit. In this review, we first give a pedagogical introduction to the equilibrium behavior of systems in that context, whose scaling framework is essentially developed by exploiting the quantum-to-classical mapping and the renormalization-group theory of critical phenomena at continuous phase transitions. Then we specialize to protocols entailing the out-of-equilibrium quantum dynamics, such as instantaneous quenches and slow passages across quantum transitions. These are mostly discussed within dynamic scaling frameworks, obtained by appropriately extending the equilibrium scaling laws. We review phenomena at first-order quantum transitions as well, whose peculiar scaling behaviors are characterized by an extreme sensitivity to the boundary conditions, giving rise to exponentials or power laws for the same bulk system. In the last part, we cover aspects related to the effects of dissipative interactions with an environment, through suitable generalizations of the dynamic scaling at quantum transitions. The presentation is limited to issues related to, and controlled by, the quantum transition developed by closed many-body systems, treating the dissipation as a perturbation of the critical regimes, as for the temperature at the zero-temperature quantum transition. We focus on the physical conditions giving rise to a nontrivial interplay between critical modes and various dissipative mechanisms, generally realized when the involved mechanism excites only the low-energy modes of the quantum transitions.
We investigate the competition of coherent and dissipative dynamics in many-body systems at continuous quantum transitions. We consider dissipative mechanisms that can be effectively described by Lindblad equations for the density matrix of the system. The interplay between the critical coherent dynamics and dissipation is addressed within a dynamic finite-size scaling framework, which allows us to identify the regime where they develop a nontrivial competition. We analyze protocols that start from critical many-body ground states and put forward general dynamic scaling behaviors involving the Hamiltonian parameters and the coupling associated with the dissipation. This scaling scenario is supported by a numerical study of the dynamic behavior of a one-dimensional lattice fermion gas undergoing a quantum Ising transition in the presence of dissipative mechanisms such as local pumping, decaying, and dephasing.
We determine the exact time-dependent non-idempotent one-particle reduced density matrix and its spectral decomposition for a harmonically confined two-particle correlated one-dimensional system when the interaction terms in the Schrodinger Hamiltonian are changed abruptly. Based on this matrix in coordinate space we derivea precise condition for the equivalence of the purity and the overlap-square of the correlated and non-correlated wave functions as the system evolves in time. This equivalence holds only if the interparticle interactions are affected, while the confinement terms are unaffected within the stability range of the system. Under this condition we also analyze various time-dependent measures of entanglement and demonstrate that, depending on the magnitude of the changes made in the Schrodinger Hamiltonian, periodic, logarithmically incresing or constant value behavior of the von Neumann entropy can occur.